The White Crystal
by Chromatology
Summary: People are shaped almost entirely from the influences of those around them. In a world without Pyra, Rex grows to be a completely different person. Mythra no longer hides behind another persona and faces her faults. Nia now fills the role of confidant, and perhaps more. A single thought, if placed in the right person at the right time, can have massive implications in the future.
1. Prologue

**This is my first work ever, so please bear with me, as I am inexperienced. Any and all constructive criticism is welcome and invited.**

* * *

"No…"

Milton was dead, and she was at fault.

There was no mistaking it. Malos' power was one of precise and destructive force. If he was to blame, there would not be any Milton left.

The revelation tears her apart. First, it was the selfless, honorable Hugo, the shield of their tireless endeavor, and his loyal retainers. The chivalrous Aegaeon, whose words were nearly as rare as his distractions. And elegant Brighid, who was a being deserving of all her respect, despite their many conflicts in the past.

She had lost three comrades already, but her heart now aches worse than it ever had before. The sassy, but sweet and innocent Milton, was gone. Milton, who she had known for what was essentially her entire life. Milton, who gave her life a meaning apart from the quest to end Malos and his treachery. Milton was dead. She killed him.

Her emotions drive her to a mindless state as she cries out once more, sobbing. If she were someone else, someone better, none of this nightmare of a reality would have occurred.

Her mind shifts to the center of her respect, the reserved swordsman that now stood next to his Driver, consoling her. Jin, who had taught her everything she now knows of the world's inhabitants. Why couldn't she be like him?

An image flashes in her mind, one of someone who looks like herself, but different. Someone she wishes she could be, the very image of perfection in her eyes.

Someone who can control herself.  
Someone who will never sink another continent.  
Someone who can handle herself around other people.  
And, well, someone who can serve a decent dish.

She imagines this perfect being, and waits to be taken over.

Hesitation.

She thinks again to Jin. What would he think?

This isn't right. This is the cheater's way out. As he might say, creating someone to bear her burdens is selfish and irresponsible.

If Jin has taught her anything, others are not to be accountable for her mistakes. She must face who she knows she is, and fight to correct herself, no matter how difficult the task is.

Her eyes flicker open for a moment. They shut once more as she collapses into her Driver's arms and sobs.

"Mythra…"

* * *

"You're leaving?"

"Yes." A pause ensues from Addam as he struggles to find the right words. "The royal Spirit Crucible is in Leftheria. I believe it'll keep this sealed." Mythra grits her teeth as her mind shifts back to Milton. For the time being, both she and the sword must be sealed away to protect Alrest, and she recognizes this.

"I see." Only two words, but Lora's disappointment is clear.

After another pause, Addam continues, but in a different tone, as if rehearsed. "I have a request for you. I hear that a militia squad has evacuated to Spessia. Give them a message for me. Once things are calm, they should come to Leftheria. Okay?"

"Understood. I'll do it."

The two Drivers shake hands. The act is more than a formality. The handshake is a simple gesture, but represents their bond as both comrades in war and friends in peace. The trust between them manifests as a tranquil sensation that washes over them both as their hands part. They must now part.

A farewell is not needed. Addam turns around to leave, and Lora's group follows suit, marching in the opposite direction. As he passes Mythra, who had distanced herself from the group, he feels a grip on his arm.

"Mythra?"

There is no response. The Aegis stares longingly at her friends, who are now disappearing into the distance.

Lora, Jin, and Haze. Mikhail too, of course.

"Let's wait for a little. I won't ever get to see them again after this." Being sealed away is a necessity, but her heart aches at the thought of leaving them for eternity.

"Of course."

After a moment's wait, Mythra looks around again at the lush greenery of Gormott. It's so peaceful.

"They'll be fine without us, right, Addam?"

"They will. Lora is truly something special, she is."

Indeed she is.

* * *

The royal Spirit Crucible.

What seemed at first to be a small underground cave had revealed itself as a grand labyrinthine system of passageways. Paired with the ether absorbing particles in the air, it formed the perfect resting place of a weapon that should never see light again.

The Aegis and her Driver are silent throughout their journey downward. Perhaps it's the atmosphere of the Crucible. Perhaps it's the weight of their task. Perhaps it's something else entirely. Whichever it is, the two are in no mood for conversation.

After what seems like an eternity, the two finally arrive at the last room, a large chamber that looked significantly more important the rest of the Crucible. Stairs headed immediately downward onto a lower level, but more stairs were positioned immediately afterwards going back up onto a large plateau that appeared similar to the stage of a theater. The Tornan insignia carved into the back wall. A pedestal stands alone in the center of the upper level, as if waiting to be used for the specific purpose of holding the Aegis sword.

Addam approaches the pedestal, drawing the divine weapon for the final time. Like previously, it weighs heavily down on his arm and he fails to bring it up despite his struggles.

"Let me."

Mythra beckons to her Driver, who nods in acknowledgment. The sword is dropped, and its original source picks it up once more.

The weapon is positioned above the pedestal, but fails to lower. Hesitation and regret form in the Aegis.

After this, it's her own turn to be sealed away. Little time had been previously allocated to properly contemplate the decades, or even centuries, that will be spent alone, with no one to talk to. Now that it comes to mind, a tear drops from her left eye.

"Mythra?" Concern.

The Aegis takes a deep breath. This is a necessary course of action. This is for the safety of Alrest, as she always tells herself. The sword is plunged into the rock beneath.

"I'm fine."

"Right."

Mythra turns around, masking her anxiety from her Driver. She can read his own stress right off his face. It would be unfair to share her own with him as well. She sighs.

"This will need more protection than just being hidden, Addam."

"I know. I'll handle that."

He glances around at the interior of the room they are in. The pedestal itself could hold a trap. What it would actually be, he did not know yet.

Turning around, he recalls their journey downward. He could assign a guardian to the Crucible. He could hide the entrance itself. He could blockade the passageways. There were many options.

He had time to think about it in more detail later.

"Let's go, Mythra."

"Yeah."

The two head off to exit the way they came in. Addam looks back as they enter the hallway, eyeing the Tornan emblem once again. It has to be redesigned to some other symbol, one of his own design.

Beside him, the Aegis thinks forward to her own imprisonment. She takes another deep breath, reminding herself once again that her sacrifice will be for the safety of Alrest.

* * *

A deep breath in.

A sigh.

The capsule lies before her, beckoning for the Aegis to lie down and finally rest. Every moment after the battle against Malos at Torna has led up to this one. A month of mental preparation had been available, and yet, when the moment finally comes to be sealed away, her will falters.

She cries. Pathetic, considering that she was the originator of the idea in the first place.

Even still, she sobs. She sobs for Brighid and Aegaeon, whose future incarnations will never know the crime she committed against them. She sobs for Milton, whose life was cut short by the uncontrolled fury of her power.

But it is not just the dead that she sobs for. She sobs for Jin, whose few words corrected her many missteps, but failed to stop her in the largest misstep of all. She sobs for Addam, who wished for a daughter, but received a monster instead.

But it is not just her failures that she sobs for. She sobs for everyone else that she has bonded with that will soon be severed from her life. She sobs for the goodbyes that have been said, and those that will never be.

Mythra turns around.

"I'll miss you, Addam."

"You too, Mythra."

The Aegis steps backwards into the capsule. Mythra follows in due time.

When she next wakes up, her mistakes will not be repeated. She will make sure of it. Atonement will come not only from her slumber, but also her actions when she wakes up.

Her eyes close. They do not open again for five hundred years.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed reading this. Please review and let me know if I should continue this! As aforementioned, I appreciate constructive criticism. Other comments or questions are welcome as well.**

**Cheers!**


	2. Counterattack

He opens his eyes to a beautiful view. The sun shines brightly, unobstructed by the clouds. The sky is more clear than he has ever seen it, its beauty only surpassed by that of the endless field of grass he now lays down upon. He slowly sits up with a groan, seeing in front of him a vast forest whose rustling trees compose the only sound he can hear.

Where was he?

Lost in his wonder, he experiences a jolt of surprise when the bell sounds, immediately looking backwards in the direction of the sound.

While he sees no clear origin for the sound, he does see something else, perhaps more interesting than the bell itself.

Or rather, someone else.

Looking upwards toward the hilltop, he sees a single tree exactly like those in the forest. Sitting under its shade, facing away from him, is a woman whose features he fails to discern, apart from her long, blonde hair.

Fueled by curiosity, he approaches.

"Ah, excuse me?" The woman turns her head toward him with a light smile. He stares in wonder once more. She's beautiful.

"Hello, Rex. I've been waiting."

He stops to think. That's strange. They've never met, so how would she know his name? At least, they haven't met for as far as he can remember. Come to think of it, he can't really remember much at all.

"Have… have we met?"

"Not formally, I guess. When you touched me, I learned who you were."

"When I… touched you? I'm sorry, I can't really remember anything right now. Where even are we?"

"We're in Elysium, Rex. People lived here once, along with their creator. I was actually born here." Rex opens his mouth in disbelief, speechless.

"Get out! Really?" She nods her head as he takes a few more steps and looks out over the hilltop. Just like everything he'd first seen of the place, this new view was gorgeous. In the distance, he eyed a small lake as well as a few buildings that fit in perfectly in their surrounding setting. Such a sight was unheard of in Alrest. This must really be Elysium.

But if this really is Elysium, then… "How… how did I get here?"

"You died, Rex. Jin stabbed you."

A gasp. "I'm dead?" He begins to piece back together what had happened, and the floodgates open. Everything pours back into his mind, and he remembers it all vividly, as if experiencing it once again.

* * *

_"Jin, check it out. There it is. Addam's crest." Malos smirks as he says this, clearly referring to the emblem on the door in front of them._

_Rex had never heard the term before. He asks what it is, but remembering his previous questions, he doesn't really expect a proper response. _

_"Addam's crest? What does that mean?" _

_He looks back at Jin, hoping for an answer. Of course, none comes. In its place comes an order instead. _

_"You. Open this door." _

_"Me?" _

_"This door will only open to one of you people." Another short and meaningless explanation. Jin really doesn't talk much, does he? _

_"One of me? What are you talking about?" _

_"Hurry up and do it! We're not paying you to ask dumb questions." Malos, clearly irritated, had made this comment. _

_"What the hell? You can't treat hired hands like that!" Rex turns around in his frustration and goes toward the door to do as they ask. _

_Honestly, the group that hired him was rather rude and got on his nerves more than he'd like. This was rather disappointing, considering how nice he had tried to be to them. Jin barely talked, and whenever he did, it was always an order. Malos was worse, throwing an insult at him whenever he could. Nia was strange, though. She first came off as a jerk, making fun of both his age and his awe at the gargantuan size of the job's pay. The one time he talked to her alone while everyone else was inside, though, she seemed different and more relatable. He's certain she's putting on a facade when she acts so much better than him and the other salvagers, but why? People like that are usually trying to hide something about themselves from others, or even from themselves. _

_Regardless, they're paying him quite the hefty sum. He holds in his frustration for Fonsett's sake, reminding himself that his family at home needs the money. Looking at the door, he ponders his options. _

_"Now, how do we open this thing?" He kneels down to get a closer look at it, and decides to inspect the mechanism with the crest itself after some thought. He raises his hand to try pushing it. As he does, the whole piece begins to glow blue. His hand retracts, satisfied, and the door splits in three, sliding open. The next room is filled with mist much like the Cloud Sea which now begins to pour out. "So that was a release toggle!" He walks through the now opened door to continue exploring. _

_In the background, he can hear Malos remarking on his success. "Just as I thought." Nia's distinct footsteps can now be heard following him. However, Jin stops them. _

_"Wait." Rex turns around and sees that Nia has as well, both awaiting Jin's command. "There. Open that door too." Recognizing that the words are directed toward himself, Rex nods and turns around to open the next door in the same manner. This door splits in half down the middle and slides open. Acknowledging the success, Jin nods. "Let's move." _

_Rex walks into the next room, which is clearly their destination. After looking around, he notices a bright white sword stuck in a pedestal. _

_"Wha-what is that thing?" Quickening his pace, he runs toward it curiously, stopping in front of the sword. _

_Looking upward, he now notices something perhaps even more interesting. Embedded in the central pillar is a capsule holding a girl who fits most definitions of angels, with long blonde hair and a white garb. But what is she doing here? _

_"It's a… girl?" _

_Now lost in his wonder, the green crystal in the hilt of the sword begins to glow. He can hear a voice calling to his subconscious, asking him to reach forward and touch it. He begins to do exactly that, albeit subconsciously. His hand slowly inches toward the crystal. _

_It is Malos that snaps him out of his daze, yelling, "Hey, brat! Don't even think about touching that!" However, it is too late. As his mind rushes back to reality, his hand finishes its movement, and the crystal is tapped lightly. _

_Before he realizes what has happened, he feels something impale him from behind. Looking down, he recognizes it as Jin's sword. "But… why…?" _

_"Don't take it personally. It's an act of mercy. At least you won't be alive to see what's coming." _

_The last thing he remembers is the sword being pulled out from his chest, and his collapse onto the floor. _

* * *

"...That bastard stabbed me!" Putting his hands up to his head in shock, Rex begins to panic, realizing the situation he and the other salvagers are now in. "Oh, man, this is bad! Everyone in the Guild is in danger!" He begins running back down the hill the way he came, quickly realizing his own lack of power and going down to his knees. "No, wait! I can't do anything if I'm dead! Titan's foot, if I wasn't dead, I'd kick that guy's arse!"

A chuckle comes from behind, and the woman gets up from under the tree and walks toward him. "Rex, if I bring you back, can you take me to Elysium?"

His panic stops. He looks back at her, slowly rising. "If you bring me back, can I take you to Elysium? Isn't that here?"

"This is just a place I remember from when I was born, Rex. The real Elysium is still out there. We can prove it's real and save everyone." After hearing these words, he pauses. He can picture his family from Fonsett, the traders at the guild, and Ardainians and Urayans no longer at war, all living here in peace. It's a nice thought.

"And you can bring me back?"

She nods. "I'm the Aegis. I can give you half of my life force and have you come back as my Driver. You can still live." It is now when he notices the green core crystal on her chest, identical to the one on the sword he had touched at the ship.

"I can come back… as your Driver? You're a Blade!"

She nods. "As the Driver of the Aegis."

After a moment to process her words, a grin spreads across his face. He has made his decision. "Alright. I'll take you to Elysium myself!"

She smiles and walks up to him, satisfied by the answer. "Place your hand on my core crystal, and we'll be back."

The grin fails to disappear, and he enthusiastically follows her directions, putting his fingers on her core crystal. "Let's go!" At this, streaks of green energy stream out of the crystal, and he feels something on his own chest fixing the damage done by Jin's sword.

As the energy emanates from the core crystal, Rex realizes something. "Y'know, I never actually caught your name."

She smiles. "It's Mythra."

"Right. Well, then, it's nice to meet you, Mythra!"

As the two are transported back, she looks at him again, recalling the first time she'd seen him, five hundred years prior in her battle against Malos. While he doesn't seem like much for now, she knows she can guide someone with a will like his toward greatness.

* * *

The next thing he knows, he is being propelled into the air through a hole in the ship with the white sword he saw before in hand. He lands, and the sword glows bright.

Looking up, he sees Nia gasp in shock. "Rex?" Behind her stand Jin and Malos, the latter of which predictably looking quite annoyed.

"You! And that sword. Can't be!"

Raising his new sword at them, Rex now confidently stands his ground. "It's kinda low to stab a man in the back. You bloody psychopath!" He looks behind him at his Blade, who had placed herself on top of a pillar toward the back of the ship. "Mythra!" Remembering his previous clash against Malos, his morale is bolstered. If he stood his ground then, he surely has a fighting chance now with Mythra.

"Already on it!" Mythra leaps from her position, ready to react to any movements made by the opposition. However, as she sees their adversaries, thoughts start occupying her mind. Jin now stands here against her. What is he doing here with Malos? How does he still have Lora's mask? The questions would have to wait.

Jin stands across from them, watching his opponents. His hand slowly rises to his sword. This would be over very quickly.

And yet, the mask on his face hides his deep uncertainty of the situation.

He hesitates. Looking at the boy, Jin eyes half of Mythra's core crystal glowing as a bright emerald in the shape of an 'X' on his chest. He glances upward for a short moment to look at Mythra herself, who is indeed missing the portion that was given to the boy.

Maybe Rex will be different. Maybe someone deserving of half an Aegis' core crystal can show him something he should have seen long ago.

But then, he looks to his left. His new partner, Malos, stands in front of him, ready to pursue a goal he himself had decided upon. Malos, who had picked him back up from the deepest depths of his disheartened state, now needs his help.

What will he do?

Malos answers for him. "Jin. Leave 'em to me." Hearing this, Jin's hand lowers, satisfied at no longer needing to make the decision.

With that said, he knows that Malos cannot defeat Mythra on his own without his original power set, and he has little faith that the faint hearted Nia will find it in herself to help fight Rex, whose first death she verbally fought him for so harshly.

For now, Jin waits, watching intently, awaiting their clash.

And clash they do. Malos had lunged forward, wielding Sever's sword tonfa with intent to kill. But perhaps more powerful than Malos' will to destroy is the boy's fierce will to protect. The salvaging team who Malos had just ordered the deaths of now stare in sheer awe as Rex's sword collides with the tonfa.

Both Drivers refuse to give ground, and neither sword budges an inch. The two stand for a few seconds, both trying to find an opportunity to strike more successfully. It felt… familiar.

_"You… Got something to say?" _

_The two release their swords from each other, and Jin spins backwards ready retaliate with an assault of spears formed of ice. _

_"Why the damned bloodlust?" _

As Rex flips through the air, Mythra shouts an order. "Rex! Toss it up!"

Although taking a moment to acknowledge her words, he does as she requests. "Right!" The sword is caught, and immediately pointed downward for a strike of light.

Sever, coming to his Driver's aid, immediately rushes into the trajectory of the attack and forms a shield. The light collides with the shield, making an explosion and dissipating outward. The Blade then jumps to the side of Malos and begins to channel ether to his Driver.

His thoughts hidden behind his mask, Jin notices the striking resemblance the scene has with his own final clash against Malos. It is a funny thought indeed that someone should now fight against the dark Aegis in the exact same manner as he once did - and that this someone should now be his enemy.

He watches as Mythra tosses back down her weapon, which is handily caught by Rex, as she elegantly arrives back onto the ground beside him. Malos grins at their ineffective attempt at landing a hit and remarks. "Sorry, kid. I can't let the likes of you just claim the Aegis' power for yourself!"

Rex shifts his gaze to Mythra, who stands ready to give him her support.

_With his attention diverted, Malos quickly lashes out with a horizontal strike of his sword. Caught off guard, Jin only has time to push his nodachi a little to the left, partially parrying the blow but failing to block the sheer weight of the Aegis' massive weapon. He is knocked to the ground. _

_Before his target can be finished off, Malos has his attention grabbed by his fellow Aegis. "Malos!" The tiara on Mythra's head now glows, iconically an indicator of her use of Artifice Siren. _

Knowing that its use would spell doom for the now weakened Malos, Jin prepares himself to rush in and intervene. Grasping his sword, he waits for the pillar of light to come crashing down onto the ship.

However, the moment he anticipates never comes. The tiara stops glowing, and Mythra bites her lip, shaking. Her mind shifts back to Milton, and she decides against using the Artifice.

"What happened? Too scared?" Malos, too, had noticed the brief flash of the tiara. He steps forward arrogantly, pointing his sword at her. "Keep that up, and you'll end up biting the dust sooner than you'd like!"

Rex, who has scrambled back to his feet, is entirely void of the context necessary to understand the situation. Yet, even he can notice the complete lack of action in the moment. "Mythra?"

Not wanting to show her true emotions, Mythra masks her fear with a neutral face. "I'm fine. Focus on the fight at hand, Rex."

He nods in response. "Got it!" Dashing forward, he strikes at Malos with a fierce look in his eyes. The attack is parried, and another slash follows up immediately. The two proceed to match each other's blows, occasionally passing their weapons to their Blades in an attempt to catch their opponent off guard with a repositioned attack. The attempts are futile, both hold their ground and for now appear to be evenly matched, despite Jin's first assessment of the situation. It is now clear to him that Mythra refuses to use a great deal of her full power, for reasons he has yet to decipher.

Seeing no progression in their clash, Jin's attention is grabbed by a figure to his right. Nia, who has finally recovered from her shock at seeing Rex up and alive once more, calls out to Malos, failing miserably to hide her anger.

"Give it a rest, Malos! Can't you see he's just a child?" Malos turns his head to her as he ducks beneath a swing, immediately jumping backwards.

"A child? Don't make me laugh. This kid has made himself the Aegis' Driver!" Dashing to the side, Malos approaches Rex from a different angle. This time, however, his tonfa is nowhere to be seen.

Turning to face Malos, Rex is caught off guard by Sever, who is now in possession of the tonfa. However, when it cuts through his body, Rex feels nothing at all as it slowly passes right through, glowing with a gold hue. "What… is this?" He turns back to his Blade, looking for direction.

Mythra grins. "It's called Foresight. You're seeing a vision of what'll happen in the immediate future. Read their movements, then counter!" Rex nods in acknowledgement, ready to act.

"I get it!" Sever seemingly teleports back to his previous position, and Rex immediately ducks underneath the incoming strike, following up with a quick slash that pushes the Wind Blade into his Driver, causing the two to topple.

While Rex rushes at his temporarily fallen opponent, Nia takes a moment to ponder Malos' words. "The Aegis' Driver…?" None of it makes sense to her. He's clearly a Driver now, but that woman had been visible in this form in the ship, so he definitely didn't awaken a core crystal… Was she a Flesh Eater? Nia takes a glance at her core to check, but sees an emerald cross where she should be seeing an amalgam of blue and red. It all confuses her. She wishes Jin and the others had told her something about what they were salvaging apart from the undescriptive title of 'The Aegis.'

Malos now scrambles back up onto his feet, but Rex and Mythra are too close for him to get away in time. The blow is dealt, and he is struck back down. After a moment of hesitation from Rex, his sword is grabbed by Mythra, who leaps into the air to impale Malos.

He needed more time to keep watching the boy, to keep studying his actions. But now, his partner needs his help, and he has no time left to simply observe.

Jin finally makes his move. Dashing in with the abilities he was granted long ago by Amalthus himself, he parries Mythra's strike. Stopping himself beside Malos, he looks at her dead in the eye.

"Jin." Mythra grits her teeth, her mind furiously cycling through a number of thoughts and questions about his presence. Why is he here? Why is he fighting against her? How is he here? Why is he wearing Lora's mask? Why is his sword's core red? How did he get here to parry her attack so quickly? Does he remember her?

But most importantly, _why is he fighting alongside Malos? _

She has no time to formulate an answer to any of these questions. Jin swiftly removes his sword from its position against Mythra's sword and dodges the now free Aegis sword with ease. He follows up with a quick slash across her abdomen, which causes both the Aegis and her Driver to be knocked backward.

Malos and Sever get back onto their feet. The tables have turned once more.

As she gets up, Mythra can easily tell through studying her opponents that their outlooks on the battle are much different. Malos is eager to fight, ready to do whatever it takes to win. Jin, on the other hand… His mask may hide his face, but still does nothing to cover any of his uncertainty.

It is now Nia that comes in, riding on Dromarch's back, to intervene. "Jin, stop it! None of this is worth taking innocent lives! Rex and the other salvagers haven't done anything wrong!"

"Stay out of this, Nia."

"Can't we just go back and live together like we always have? What makes this so important?" Her voice strains, indicative of her desperate attempt to cling onto the past.

There is no response. Jin appears to completely ignore her, rushing into the fray once more.

His strike is foreseen. Rex and Mythra immediately jump out of its path, but still just barely missing the hit due to the sheer speed of Jin's assault. Malos then follows up with a few gusts of wind, running in to support his partner. The newly awakened Aegis recognizes now that she is outclassed, all the while wondering how Jin has such power.

Her free hand grips the air. If something doesn't happen soon, she may be forced to use Siren. Her mind shifts back once more, thinking yet again about the atrocities committed by its sheer power. What else can she do?

It is Nia that breaks the mold. She rides in between the two opposing sides on Dromarch's back, grabbing their attention with a powerful roar from her Blade. "Enough! This isn't right, Jin!" She hops off of Dromarch, landing onto the floor and standing her ground with a stern expression, while still lacking confidence in her words.

It is Malos who responds, pointing his weapon straight at her. "Get out of the way, Nia! Have you gone mad?"

Rex answers for her. "What's your problem, anyway? Why is Mythra so important to you?"

A chuckle. "Kid, you really don't understand anything, do you?" He shifts his gaze. "Last warning, Nia." She grabs her twin rings in response, gripping onto them perhaps more tightly than she should.

She tells herself she's ready to fight Malos, but she knows inside she can't. She can't afford to lose Jin, whom she'd just gotten in her life - to lose the little she still has. Still, she steps forward. If only she can just find a way to help the kid escape without fighting, then-

The Monoceros fires from behind, and in the midst of the tension between Nia and Malos, Mythra fails to react quickly enough to raise her ether shield. She is knocked down, disillusioned of their chances to win this battle. Directing her attention to the ship, she tries to formulate a fringe strategy they can perhaps utilize to survive the encounter. She knows there is no way that Rex can fight off both Malos and Jin on his own.

Nia, too, is shocked by the attack. Turning around quickly, she recognizes an easier way to help, one that doesn't put her in direct conflict with Jin. "Dromarch!" The beast Blade nods in acknowledgement and follows her back, and he puts up an ether shield to block the next attack. "Stop attacking!"

Jin watches silently as the shield is broken through, knocking her out instantly. The Monoceros' shots are not to be taken lightly. He hears Malos let out a breath beside him, and Dromarch attending to his fallen Driver. "My lady!"

Rex turns to the downed Nia, but Mythra grabs his shoulder. "No time for that right now."

"But…" He sighs, clearly still desiring to run back and support Nia. He begins to turn back, but has his attention caught by a massive fireball hitting the black ship, setting it ablaze. A beastly roar accompanies the attack, and a draconic form can now be seen emerging from the night sky.

"What the…" Malos is taken aback, but Jin is unfazed. Still, it is the former that takes action first. He has to close off this fight as soon as possible. He rushes forward, tonfa at the ready.

Too focused on the Aegis and her Driver, he almost doesn't see the next fireball coming straight for him. Caught off guard, he only has time to fall back to Sever and the protection of an ether shield. As the Titan soars above, he recognizes who it is, as do three others.

"Gramps?" Rex is astonished most of all. He feels mixed emotions: happiness, to see the Titan once more, relief, to see that he now has a powerful ally on his side, and also fear, at the thought of the proper scolding he will soon receive.

"Azurda!" Mythra calls out, less surprised than she would have been earlier. It's just one blast from the past after another today, isn't it?

"Azurda." Jin shows his recognition solemnly. His mind shifts to the last time they had met, nearly 500 years in the past.

_"Our paths won't cross… But, should we in fact ever meet again… on that day…" _

He hadn't finished his statement, for a number of reasons. And now, on the day that their paths do cross once more, he realizes that he has made yet another enemy from his past.

Bombarding both ships, the Titan Azurda takes a closer look at those present, namely the ones attacking his boy.

"Jin… still you persist… And is that Malos?"

Circling back, he recognizes the danger Rex is in, and swoops down to pick him up. "Rex! Jump on!"

Rex nods, turning around in an instant and grabbing Mythra's wrist to bring her with him as he runs toward the Titan.

Looking to the left, he sees Dromarch and Nia still grounded. Recognizing that they, too, have been dragged into his mess, he calls out. "Dromarch, bring Nia!" The beast nods in acknowledgement, grabbing his Driver with his mouth and following.

Malos runs after in pursuit, but is quickly stopped by an assault of blinding light from Mythra's sword. When he looks up once more, the Aegis safely on the Titan's back, alongside her Driver, Nia, and Dromarch. "Stop them! Open fire!"

The Monoceros indeed sends a barrage of attacks to shoot down Azurda. Malos is hopeful, but soon recognizes the flicker of an ether shield. The shots have no chance at piercing through.

"Damn it! They gave us the slip!" Malos' frustration has risen, and he is now clueless as to what their next course of action should be.

"Turn around." Jin gives the order when Malos does not.

"We're not chasing them?"

"The Aegis is awakened. That's enough for now."

Jin looks around. The other salvagers had left on their ship in the heat of Rex's clash against Malos uncontested. Mythra had awakened, and her Driver escaped with her. Nia had turned traitor.

Today should feel like a colossal failure, and yet he is now yearning to see how it will play out. He had never in that battle felt confident that he was on the right side.

Perhaps this Rex will be different from the other humans, like Lora was. Only time will tell.

* * *

**Well, that's a wrap! Sorry it took so long; I'm rather busy with life.**

**I tried to explore a lot with my writing in this chapter, and I'm not confident with a lot of the things I put in it. If you can tell me what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong, I'd really appreciate it!**

**I also know it can be frustrating to see the same dialogue in fics as shown in the game, so I have to apologize for that as well. I am trying to find what would be different should Pyra have never existed, and I don't think most of Rex's lines at the beginning would change, as well as Malos and Nia. Either way, there should be a lot less of it in the next chapter.**

**Also, kudos to anyone that can guess what the title means before it's actually revealed. **

**Cheers!**


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